Disclaimer: See other chapters.
Warning: R for rape.
Sorry 'bout all grammar and/or spelling mistakes.
I'm back! n.n It was freakin' fun! I wish I could go back… ;-; Yeah, if any of you want to hear more about it or see pics that I took go to http/ nightshadow131 . deviantart . com. Don't forget to put the colons in too. Just scroll down 'til it says 'Recent Deviations.' n.n
Yeah, so sorry it took so long to get this out. I was workin' on Heart's Truth more than this one… I didn't know I already had this chapter written out already… well, most of it anywayz. It's a good thing I had it written before I went on the trip. During and after it I couldn't think of any way to make it where Legolas lived. XD I would kill him off, but I didn't put a warning or anything and too many of you would be mad if I did… so… yeah. I dunno, though… it just might not be right to keep him alive… .:grins:.
So… I'll shut up and let you guys read this. Haven't gotten an update in forever and a day… Hope you enjoy. n.n
Unforgivable Pain
Chapter Twenty-one: Proof of Life
Thranduil was extremely concerned over his son – more so than before, if that was possible. Legolas' breathing had become labored while he still clutched his chest. It was all too obvious that he had fallen deep into his despair; the elf king just prayed that they'd be able to pull him out of it.
When the archer woke up there were no changes, except for the look in his eyes. They were now a blank, dull blue, no emotions were shown. It didn't help matters when Legolas didn't even sit up after he woke, for he usually felt weak if he didn't.
The elder elf wondered how much longer they would have to wait for Elrond and his sons to return. He had thought that they would be back by now. He really didn't know how far they had to travel to begin with, though. It had been three days already…
All of the praying wasn't doing anything either, it hadn't brought the others back, and it hadn't helped Legolas in the least.
He just had to hope that something would turn up soon, or that he could think of something that would help his son.
Aragorn felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw that they were finally home. He had to stop himself from jumping off the horse and running to Legolas; for he knew he would not get far on his own.
The human felt his father tighten his arm around his waist in joy. He had sat up during their last break and was now leaning against the elder elf's chest. Elrohir was resting again in Elladan's arms, recovering what he could.
"Thank the Valar." He heard Elladan whisper. Now they would be able to give Elrohir proper treatment and would finally be able to see their friend.
Minutes later everyone dismounted, the four getting help from some of the warriors.
"My lords, you have returned!" one of the servants exclaimed surprised. Word had come from a scout but it was still hard to believe, especially given the state everyone was in.
"Aye; please take care of our horses," the elf-lord said quickly to the stable hands. He turned away, making haste to Legolas' room, supporting the injured Aragorn.
Elrohir was being carried by one of the warriors, while Elladan was also being supported. The elder twin followed his father and youngest brother, wanting to see his friend. He'd check on his twin after seeing the blonde. He felt bad for doing this, but knew that Elrohir would understand. Even with these thoughts, he was still torn between going with his twin or going to his friend when the warrior carrying Elrohir went to the healing rooms. However, he stuck to his earlier decision and went to see Legolas, figuring it was the best choice under the circumstances, and with how long it had been since they had left the broken elf.
Once at the door to the blonde's room each of them took a deep breath, apprehension settling; each trying to calm it.
Elrond opened the door and they all entered; gasping in shock. What they saw definitely wasn't expected.
King Thranduil had his head bowed, one hand partially on his forehead and slightly covering his eyes; his shoulders shaking as silent sobs wracked his body, tears trickling down his cheeks.
Looking over at Legolas' body, they found his eyes half-open, blankly staring at nothing. If it wasn't for the way his breath was coming in quick, short pants, they would have thought him dead, especially with the way his father was acting.
The elf king's gaze slowly shifted towards the door, the sound had only barely registered in his distraught mind. However, upon seeing who was there, he promptly attempted to wipe away all traces of tears, making it look like he hadn't been crying in the first place.
"Thank the Valar you have returned!" he exclaimed relieved beyond belief. Perhaps Legolas would be able to recover now… Wait a minute. Elrohir was not there… "Where… Where's Elrohir…?" he stuttered out fearfully.
"He is alive, worry not. Merely resting at the moment," the elf-lord was quick to answer thedistressed elf king.
Thranduil heaved a big sigh of relief. Everyone was well, if not worse for the wear, but alive nonetheless.
Elrond lead Aragorn to a chair next to Legolas' bed and gently lowered him down. Then he turned to the warrior who was still supporting the injured Elladan. Going over to the two he said, "Thank you for your help. You may leave now, if you don't mind."
The warrior let his lord take Elladan from him. He bowed and left, closing the door behind him. He was disappointed though, wanting to know what was going on. Why had the elf king been crying? Why did the Mirkwood Prince look like he was dying? He would probably never find out, much to his dismay.
Elrond was surprised and worried that Legolas hadn't even acknowledged their presence.
Once the elder elf had settled Elladan into a chair he went next to the elf king's side, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He squeezed it and then went closer to Legolas.
"Legolas," he tried to get the younger elf's attention. However, the blonde continued to stare.
"Look at me, penneth," the elf-lord said louder.
After a few more times the archer's eyes became clearer as he blinked it away. When his eyes focused and his thoughts cleared he was beyond shocked to see Elrond's face hovering above his own.
He shot up from his position and instantly regretted it. It only increased the pain in his chest, causing him to fall back down with a hiss.
Elrond waited patiently, though in deep concern; now realizing why Thranduil was so distraught: Legolas had succumbed to his grief.
"Elrond, you have returned," the younger elf said, almost in disbelief. "Where are the others?" he asked in panic, trying to get up again.
The elder elf put his hand on Legolas' chest, pushing him back down softly. "Be at peace, penneth. They are well," he answered the archer.
"Where…?"
Aragorn and Elladan forced themselves up and walked over to their friend's side; letting him see for himself.
Legolas stared wide-eyed. "You… you are alive…" he said quietly. Was he dreaming?
He raised his hand up to Aragorn's face, touching it to make sure it was true. It finally rested on the human's cheek. When Aragorn gently placed his hand on his own he could no longer hold back the tears, tears of relief, tears of disbelief, and tears of joy.
Legolas turned to look at Elladan and Elrohir… Wait, Elrohir? Where was Elrohir? His eyes widened in horror. The nightmare had had some truth to it after all.
"Is Elrohir…?" hetrailed offin fear, unable to finish the sentence, or even form it for that matter.
"Elrohir is well. Just resting," the elf-lord told Legolas.
The archer started to sit up again and, this time when Elrond tried to stop him, he struggled, ignoring the pain it caused throughout his entire body. "I need to see him! Let me go!" he shouted desperately.
"Legolas calm down! You need to rest!" exclaimed the elder elf while the others watched, unable to do anything to help. They feared Legolas would only panic more if they were to crowd around him.
"No, no! Let me go now!" Legolas continued to shout frantically, struggling harder, tears still running down his cheeks.
Elrond finally let go, deciding that by holding the younger elf back it would only make him worse. He prayed his injuries did not reopen.
As soon as the elf-lord removed his handsLegolas quickly swung his legs over the bed and stood up. He would have fallen if it weren't for his father's support.
"I shall help you, ion-nin," Thranduil offered worriedly. If only he had never let Legolas leave by himself!
The archer rested his head on the elf king's shoulder for a moment, trying to catch his breath, which was coming in quick gasps as he tried to ignore the pain.
They were in Elrohir's room before they knew it, for Legolas had pushed himself, which Thranduil hadn't been able to prevent.
Legolas abruptly stopped; almost causing his father to lose his balance.
Looking over at this son Thranduil noted his terrified expression. He let go of the archer and watched as he slowly walked over to Elrohir's side.
The healer that had been taking care of the younger twin while the others checked on Legolas, stood up and, bowing to them, left them alone. Aragorn, Elrond, Elladan and Thranduil smiled back at him, grateful that he had known to leave.
Legolas wasn't aware of anything around him, except for his – hopefully – unconscious friend in front of him. He reached out and touched Elrohir's neck, checking his pulse with a shaky hand.
The others watched patiently, knowing how important this was for the younger elf; Thranduil especially understood since he knew about the nightmare.
Legolas fell back onto a chair in relief after his shaky hand found the pulse. He wanted to wake the sleeping elf to hear his voice and see his grey eyes, to be sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him; making him believe there was a pulse without there really being one. However, he knew Elrohir needed his rest, his eyes being closed was proof enough. He would wait for him to wake; hopefully it would be soon.
Now that most of his fears about the four had decreased his exhaustion gripped him tightly and the pain returned in full force. He winced and, inadvertently, closed his eyes against it.
He vaguely heard his name being called but did not open his eyes, even though he knew he should. He couldn't though.
The four watched the scarred elf in concern, unsure whether falling asleep at that moment would be good.
Figuring it to be more bad than good because of the increase of nightmares, and the severity of them, Thranduil started calling his son's name, getting louder and louder.
Suddenly, Legolas' eyes shot open, wide with fear. He couldn't believe he had almost allowed himself to fall asleep!
Aragorn felt horrible seeing the look in his best friend's eyes, for he knew that he could do nothing to help. Legolas was still frightened of him, and it broke his heart to know this.
"You have nothing to fear, penneth," Elrond tried to comfort.
The archer said nothing. He onlyturned his gaze back to Elrohir, watching and waiting for him to wake.
Aragorn, Elladan and Elrond now knew just how wellthe scarred elf had been faring.
The human felt a heavy weight settle on his chest in guilt. If he hadn't pushed so hard, if he had only waited, waited until, perhaps Legolas was better, then… maybe the blonde wouldn't be in such bad condition. No matter what, he would not allow his best friend to fall prey to his grief completely and fade. He would do everything within his power to stop that from happening. They had been through so much, especially Legolas with what had happened to him. No, Legolas would survive; that was all there was to it really.
It feels good to be typing this up again, man. n.n I couldn't write at all while in Japan. That sucked. You have no idea (well, some of you I'm sure do) how badly I was wanting to. There was no time, though! ;-; Oh, well, everything else made up for it… except it was freakin' hot there! …and an extremely annoying guy was there… not even going to go on about that… .:takes a deep breath:.
Damn shift key! Rawr! .:ahem:.
Anywayz… let's move onto Review Responses, shall we? n.n
Nerfi-Tiri – I'm glad you like it. n.n Depressing is the only way to go. n.n;;; Kidding, kidding. And sorry 'bout the wait, btw.
Legoals4me – No prob. I just hope you're still enjoying this. n.n Yup, Legolas certainly is lucky to have him… in this fic anywayz. XD
empath89 – Glad ya had fun! n.n Lol… you and me both, you and me both. Gotta love depressing stories. XD Well, they certainly did get back soon. n.n;;
Aly K – Aww, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to make you cry! I'm glad you're enjoying it! n.n Yeah, it is! FMA is the best! n.n …too bad they weren't showing new eps…
KerowynGreenleaf – I'm sorry! It's not my fault! He's practically screaming, "Kill me! Kill me now!" I'm glad you decided to check this fic out, though. n.n I'm sorry I made you cry! I didn't think it was that depressing… then again I am the one writing it… .:shrugs:. I shall try not to kill him, don't worry.
Haldir's Heart and Soul – I know! ;-;
inulover28 – Not necessarily kill himself… just… doesn't want to live… o.O Lol… glad ya liked it. n.n Lmao… Don'tcha just love your nickname? n.n Don't worry I'm horrible at nicknames too. That one just… sorta… came out while I was typing to you… It just fits too well. .:grins:.
jen – Glad ya liked it. n.n Lol. So can I! People are too used to their characters surviving no matter what… .:shakes head:. Lol… yeah, it was freakin' fun, and thanks. n.n Too bad I didn't really get to write on the plane, though… ;-; Oh well…
Mrs. Bloom – He's my favorite too! It's just… hard to see him surviving. I shall try my best, though. You're weird that way? I'm the one that's writing it! Lol. Yeah, sorry I couldn't slip another update in there.
Gemini969 – Sorry it took so long! Couldn't really be helped.
HarryEstel – o.O Sorry! Don't hurt me! Wow, that was… a really… strong reaction. It isn't my fault, though! He's telling me to do it! Can't you see how much he's suffering? And you want him to go through more…? Yeah, I know you do, as does everyone else, as do I. XD But, that isn't the point… Aaanywayz… Yeah, Japan was extra fun. I want to be there still! Nothing is wrong with Ocean Shores at all. Just with my family it's extra boring. I love the ocean so much, but I just can't enjoy it with them really. We do the exact same things every year. Sorry I couldn't slip in an extra update before I left.
Kiharu-sama – Lol. I'm sorry. He's the one. He told me to! Blame him! You're killing him, choking him to death. .:shows Legolas going blue in the face from Kiharu-sama's glomp:. Now look what you're doing. Sheesh…
Wow, thank you so much everyone! I couldn't believe how much reviews I had in my inbox when I got back! Maybe I should go on another vacation for two weeks…
Speaking of vacations… Unfortunately, I have to go to Ocean Shores with my family on Monday. Don't get me wrong, I love the ocean; you have no idea how much, but with my family it's… well, boring. I won't be back 'til Thursday or Friday… apparently they don't know exactly. Yeah, they're brilliant. I'll prob'ly be able to write there, though, so hopefully I'll have another chapter ready for you guys. n.n
Yeah… so, I'll see you all when I get back. n.n Please leave a review and let me know what you think. And if you would actually stop reading this all together if I actually did kill Legolas… though I prob'ly won't. Be honest too! n.n
Ja ne
